The M168 Vulcan Air Defense System, or VADS, is a Paternian anti-aircraft gun based on the M61 Vulcan cannon. Developed by the Paternian Army as a stopgap measure alongside the M188 Charappal (which is a modified M50 Quadmount with the capacity to mount modified Sidewinder missiles), the M168 VADS is designed for close-range defense against jet aircraft. The M50 Quadmount's four 12.7mm machine guns had neither the range nor rate of fire to do so, as was the case with the majority of the Paternian Army's air defense assets. Thus, M168 was developed. It's open-topped turret, while meaning that there is no NBC protection, gave the operator superior situational awareness, important given that it's radar system was targeting-only. Both the M168 and M188 were replaced by the M1100 Avenger, which was a modified M188 armed with Stinger missiles. Some VADS were mounted on vehicles in a fashion akin to the earlier Quadmount, and for the same purpose; its high rate of fire, high lethality of its rounds against soft targets, rapid gun laying and high angle of elevation made them incredibly useful in urban or mountain operations.